text: The father of Miley Cyrus's homeless VMAs date said it was 'heart-breaking' to discover his son was sleeping rough in Hollywood - but said he's baffled why the 22-year-old never reached out for help. Former Pepsi Cola executive Dennis Helt – whose son Jesse appeared on stage on Sunday at the VMAs to accept an award for superstar Miley - said he hasn't seen Jesse for three years. Dennis, 61, was stunned when his son's faced flashed up on TV and on the internet. Scroll down for video . Upset: Dennis Helt, Jesse's father, told MailOnline that he didn't know his son was homeless and last saw him three years ago. He added: 'If I'd known then maybe I could have helped him' Happier days: Jesse, far right, pictured at the Oregon State Fair with his four siblings when he was younger . Acting up: Jesse, left, put on a funny face for the photo. Right, he is seen returning to Oregon on Monday night . But the retiree says he was more shocked to learn his son was homeless and living under a bush while seeking the assistance of a charity to survive. 'We kept in touch since he left for LA but I haven't spoken to him this year,' said Dennis. 'I thought he was still chasing his dream, I didn't know he was homeless, he didn't share that information with me. 'If I'd known then maybe I could have helped him. It's heart-breaking knowing he was going through that when he’s got a family to fall back on'. Dennis spoke as police in Oregon were still looking for Jesse to arrest him for a breach of his probation conditions in 2011. Officers paid his mom's house a visit on Tuesday to serve out an arrest warrant – but Linda Helt said her son wasn't home. Jesse was on the run from police when he went to Los Angeles after breaking probation following a drugs test back in 2011, which was part of his probation for a criminal trespass offence he was found guilty of a year earlier. A judge in his home state of Oregon issued a warrant for his arrest for repeatedly violating the terms of his probation. As of Wednesday morning officers from Polk County Sheriff's Department had still not heard from Jesse. Dad Dennis believes Jessie was a 'normal' kid, but admits he knew nothing of his son's brushes with the law as a teenager. 'That's all new to me', he said. 'He was 19 when he left, but I don't know what he was getting up to.' Dennis said Jesse, the youngest of five children, was just a young boy when he separated from wife Linda. He said he has always had a good relationship with his son and they haven't 'burned any bridges' with each other. Dennis said he sent money to Jesse a 'couple of times' in LA and even offered to pay for his flight home whenever he wanted. Shock: Polk County police visit the home of Jesse's mother, Linda, on Tuesday to arrest him over an outstanding warrant for probation violations in his home town . Search: Linda Helt told officers that he wasn't at her house and asked if they could make an appointment to speak to the police and his probation officer . But Jesse chose not to reach out and ask for help when things became desperate, instead he slept on the streets and live off charity hand-outs. Dennis can't understand his son's decision and insists there was never any family fall out that forced Jesse to leave and said he's close to all his siblings. 'It just wasn't the case that Jesse came from a bad situation, yes his parents were separated but he had a good strong family unit and is close to all his siblings. He could have stayed here or stayed with his mom Linda, but he chose to go his own way. 'Since he moved away he's been doing it on his own. I did know he had been struggling for money but I thought he was just doing small jobs, you know cleaning or spinning a sign on the corner, while he was trying to get jobs as a model.' Cyrus hit out on Twitter on Tuesday after it was revealed that Jesse was a wanted man. In one the Wrecking Ball singer wrote: 'People who are homeless have lived very hard lives. Jesse included.' She also tweeted that she hoped Jesse's case 'can be the start of a national conversation about youth homelessness and how to end it' and added: 'Does looking down upon the homeless help people excuse their inaction'. Jesse was arrested in October 2010 after he tried to break into a flat where he said a man had sold 'bad marijuana' to him. He was charged with burglary, criminal mischief in the third degree and criminal trespass in the 1st degree. The burglary charge was later dismissed. On November 23 of the same year, he was given 30 days in county jail, placed on supervised probation for 12 months and fined $572 and ordered to pay restitution, according to Polk County Circuit Court. Focus: Miley Cyrus took to Twitter (above and below) to defend Jesse after his criminal past emerged . In mugshots obtained by MailOnline, Jesse was booked on probation violations on July 24, 2011 and August 22, 2011. And in February 2012, Helt made the Most Wanted List for Polk County. He was listed number two on the list wanted for first degree trespass. For dad Dennis – who worked for Pepsi Cola as an events manager for 32 years – it's still unclear why Jesse fled Oregon. He says that far from leaving a hard life behind Jesse is simply 'stubborn', adding that it took 'guts' to head for the lights of Hollywood on his own. 'Maybe he gets that from me, I always wanted to make everything on my own,' he said. 'I was proud of him for having the guts to chase after what he wanted. 'He went down there with a phone card and I've sent him money a couple of times to help him out and given his mother Christmas and birthday presents for him, but other than that he's a private individual, he went off radar. 'It's kind of got me by surprise, but I'm happy he's back, I hope I get to see him soon.' He proudly showed off a framed photo of Jesse and his four siblings taken around ten years ago at the Oregon State Fair. Jesse pulls a funny face in the black and white snap in which he and his brothers and sister are wearing old-fashioned clothing. Dennis now hopes he can reconnect with Jesse and help him sort his life out. 'I was as shocked as anybody when I saw the Miley Cyrus blurb on the internet. I've been trying to come to grips with it, but it's great for him, I would have loved to be blown up all over the media when I was his age. 'I’m looking forward to seeing him, I've called my family and the people close to me and we're looking forward to seeing him, I've not seen him for three years. 'Whatever Jessie's made on his own, whatever he's done whether that be to come out of homelessness and be up there on the stage, I'm happy for him and I hope it leads to a lot of good things in the future.' Heartfelt: Jesse, who went to LA to try and become a model, collecting Miley's VMA award on Sunday night. He stole the show with his speech on the plight of the 1.6m homeless youth in the city . Wanted: Jesse was found guilty of criminal trespass in 2010 (left) but then went on to be booked for violating his probation on numerous occasions before leaving his hometown for good (right) Meanwhile, Martin Silbernagel, Polk County Director of Community Corrections, said Jesse could face up to one year in jail for breaching supervision conditions. Speaking outside his office in Dallas, Oregon, Mr Silbernagel told MailOnline: 'We will continue to look for Mr Helt and we will find him eventually. If he wants to continue living his life looking over his shoulder making sure law enforcement isn’t behind him, that’s up to him. 'But eventually what goes around comes around and we will find him.' The official said that ultimately Helt will be brought to stand before a judge. He said: 'The judge at that time will determine whether or not Mr Helt will be continued on probation in the community or whether to revoke his probation and impose a custody sentence of up to one year in county jail.' The director insisted that 'all violations' are 'serious', however small or however big. 'I use the example of growing up, parents might say to Johnny, "you need to clean your room, you need to clean your room"', he said. 'Eventually Johnny cleans his room, but if Johnny doesn't clean it there’s a consequence. Breaking the law in Polk County is the same, if you break the law there will be consequences'.